Tolkien’s “Fundamentally Catholic” Mythology: The Christian Foundations of Middle-Earth

In a letter, Tolkien stated that The Lord of the Rings was a “fundamentally religious and Catholic” work, which seems strange given the lack of obvious religion in the story.  A close look, however, reveals numerous examples of the author’s theology in all his Middle-earth stories. For videos discussing many of these ideas in further detail, check the links below: Fate and free will generally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzDndXGRsY Fate and free will in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvVkE3bBmzM Fate and free will in the story of Turin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lROuU1RPDpU Fate and free will in Tolkien vs. The Adjustment Bureau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pw4CO58N8g Providence in Tolkien vs. “Passengers”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UCmnGxJSfI Decline, fall, and restoration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLme8xfiY6o Evil and banal and empty (compared to “Megamind”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-jhi1pMSA0 Morality vs. law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ggh4oAdiXM The Athrabeth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwi7_nABWDI Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joshua6469/support